Changes to the township’s current sign ordinance aimed at trying to cut down on the appearance of the commercial real estate lease signs seen up and down Alexander Road’s commercial sector were reviewed by council on January 5, after the matter was discussed by the township’s Planning Board.
The board was asked to look into the matter after Councilwoman Heidi Kleinman stated she has asked for resolution to the problem over the past three years, and that the signs gave the impression that the “whole town is for sale.”
Planning Board Attorney Gerald Muller said feedback from the commercial real estate community indicated that “on-site signs are actually an important means of conveying vacant space on the property,” so eliminating a person’s ability to advertise open office space entirely would be a bad idea.
Instead,an alternate option was discussed, which would permit leasing information on the permanent monument signs identifying the business. The information could be placed on the sign “in a way that is esthetically appealing, while at the same time providing a forum for the dissemination of this information, which appears to be very important,” Muller said.
Upon adoption of the proposed ordinance, all of the temporary leasing signs would have to be removed, and the leasing information will have to be placed in the context of the monument sign, he explained.
However, the language in the ordinance still permits the placing of leasing signs on vacant properties “because that was an appropriate area in which a developer should have the opportunity to provide information about vacant space that will be available in the future.”
But once a land is developed, “we didn’t want to have this haphazard construction of new signs,” Muller said. So the ordinance would require a developer to address the sign with the Planning Board, which will have to approve the monument sign with the leasing informational part of the signage package during site plan review.
“The Planning Board, when they looked at what the council proposed, felt that there should be some recognition that commercial leasing space is a continuous process,” added Township Planner John Madden. “Prohibiting signage is not practical. In talking to commercial realtors, they find these signs are the source of at least 20 percent of their business. They would really advocate to you not to eliminate the ability to advertise the availability of space.”
Madden also explained that according to the New Jersey Real Estate Commission, all real estate sale or lease signs, whether they are advertising residential or commercial properties, are required by state law to list the broker name, agency’s name, broker office phone number, and real estate license, and an indication that they are a licensed real estate broker. There is no size or height requirement, so incorporating the information within the business indication/monument sign would be acceptable, he said.
“In terms of temporary noncommercial signage, including political signs, we indicated that they would be removed no later than seven days after an election,” Madden added. Signs for cultural events, like carnivals or festivals should not exceed 16 square feet, and the person in charge of the event will need to get written approval from the zoning officer to put signs up around town. The person who is responsible for that event will be indicated in the permit, and must indicate when the signs will be placed and when they are to be removed, Madden said.
Lawn signs that advertise contractors who are performing work done on a residential property will be only permitted to be displayed in a front yard. The size requirements for those signs has also been reduced under the proposed ordinance, going from 16 square feet to 4 square feet.
Councilwoman Linda Geevers also asked whether language could be added that would only allow signs for cultural events that take place within West Windsor or are a function of the West Windsor-Plainsboro school district, but Township Attorney Michael Herbert said that the township could not legally do so because of Constitutional rights involving time, place, and manner.
